Into the night

Modern cameras and well lit stations quite frequently see some really great night steam loco shots on Nat Pres. Plus a smaller number of available light shots taken as night descends. It's something I've been trying for decades, and one country I have some (to me at least) interesting results from is South Africa. Especially out in my beloved semi-desert Karoo and its Kimberley to De Aar line when steam operated.

Clear winter skies and wide open spaces, even in parts of the Oranjerivier mid way servicing stop, helped a lot. But being Africa, a fast rising and decending sun at dawn and dusk.

Below sees 25NC 3454, at and then leaving Oranjerivier after a long servicing stop in July 1990. It had left behind the limited station lighting for shots two and three, so I relied on just what very little light was rapidly turning to full dark in the west. Indeed I have had to very slighly lighten those second and third images.

The twin headlights stabbing into the night were, for me, a Magic Hours touch. The images are all from a digitised Hi-8 tape shot with a consumer camera - I moved on to a full Sony Pro camera for 1991. And it was only by advancing one frame at a time to get the second shot that I found about 5 frames (25 frames/sec) where the remains of steam blowing forward from the steam cocks had just gone from view, but had left just enough mositure in the air to pick up the lights. And the third shot shows the fireman reaching to the five stoker directional control valves.

PS. I am starting to get my old South African U-Matic Master tapes digitised - including my Magic Hours series, and for those that have survived ok I will explore ways to make them free to view. A sort of Dinosaur- FreeView!

Bryan

 

I never thought a dinosaur would follow an O.W.L...

Nice pics